Dreams in the Dying
by ColdBloodedFalicity
Summary: As he lays next to Kirito, staring up at the stars above, he wonders why Kirito came first over someone so important as Akihiko Kayaba, and yet why the boy lying next to him was the only thing that made sense anymore. A story of two boys traveling together, one of which has lost ideals and a naive loyalty, while the other is starting to wonder of he's actually straight *Shounen-ai*
1. Chapter 1

**Warnings:** BoyxBoy, OC (Original Character), Mild Violence, Language. If any of these things offend you, you are free to exit from the door on the right.

**Dreams in the Dying**

Chapter 0:

_A Tale is Told from the Eyes of an Innocent_

* * *

[Third Person]

**-Floor 1: Town of Beginnings-**

Brilliant shades of orange, yellow and pink washed artistically across the sky; the colors bleeding out into the clouds with an undeniable vibrancy that was characteristic for the fantasy world of Aincard. Mika stretched his ashen colored arms over his head, before securing them comfortably under his pale blonde hair as a makeshift pillow. The artwork above him was far more striking, when viewed from a higher standpoint, Mika decided; glad he had chosen to situate himself atop a high rising guild roof, to watch the sun meet its end for the day.

The thin boy breathed a contented sigh, as he witnessed the world grow dim, and listened to the chaos running a-muck below him. The true Game Master of Sword Art Online had sure stirred up a frenzy, and got everybody's blood pumping throughout their virtual bodies, with the daunting announcement of entrapment in the world of SAO. Well, trapped until someone found the courage and skill to rise to the hundredth floor. People's lives in the outside world had come to a halt, the overwhelming task of scaling the fortress that was Aincard weighed on their shoulders…and panic had ensued.

Mika however, couldn't find the need within himself to be worried or frightened, nor could he understand why everyone else was. Aincard was a world of unending possibilities, and handed you the means to do things that were otherwise impossible in the outside world. Sure, whatever "home" people had built there was gone for the time being, but from statistics, the human race spent more time in games such as Sword Art Online then actually participating in life itself.

Mika understood this, and took every happiness in being caged in the world of Aincard. Any and all traumatizing statements that came from Kayaba Akihiko passed swiftly over the boys head, as unlike everybody else, he trusted the man with his life.

The pale blonde rolled his eyes. _Like he would actually put anyone's lives in danger. _Mika pushed himself into a standing position atop the building, before jumping off and landing firmly onto ground below, his sword softly bouncing against his shoulder blades in the strap that was secured to his back. _That part was obviously a bunch of bull. How else were people supposed to take the game seriously?_

Mika blew a stand of loosely curled hair out of his face, before proceeding to trot along the path out of the village and to an open green area, where large bores that held a low tolerance for bullshit resided and a few wolves prowled the area, awakened by the setting sun. However much Mika hated to admit it, lazing around and staring at the sky wasn't the best plan of action at the moment, no matter how beautiful the sunset. EXP and money were limited, and there was no doubt that special places with items would soon be hunted down, including the grassy plain Mika now stood in. As soon as people got over the shock and bothered to take a look at their maps, this place would be eradicated of its wildlife before you could blink. It was now or never to get to the next village with the most rewarding results.

Mika's icy blue eyes scanned the scenery until he spotted a long, grey wolf stalking across a path. It moved with what you would think would be practiced fluidity, and its teeth gnarled with fearsome razors that glinted threateningly in the last bit of light. The boy grinned and reached his right arm up to grip the black, 11 inch handle of his blade, preparing to slice the virtual enemy in half from his current distance of 10 feet, and begin his hunt to the next village. He was just about to pull out the blade, when a blur of navy blue and pitch black swept across the trail, catching him off guard. The person pulled out his own blade, activated a sword skill, and cleanly took Mika's prey, while still running off at the same speed towards, Mika had quickly calculated, the next village over.

"Huh…" Mika said thoughtfully, watching the wolfs remains burst into multiple shards of crystal, before allowing his hand to drop from his sword handle and rest on his hip, put out that his target was taken. "That guy must be a beta tester, if he's already figured out how to effectively raise his stats."

The blonde grinned and quickly sped after the mystery player, determined to follow through with his plan of moving on through the Town of Beginnings, and maybe discover the fast moving players identity along the way. _It'd be nice to start working up the social latter here. Plus, __whoever this player is, he definitely has the right idea._

**To Be Continued…**

_**Disclaimer: Sword Art Online belongs to it's respective owner(s)(Damn it...), and I am in no way getting money off of this (Double dammit!). Mika belongs to me, and all characters and situations are purely a work of fiction. Any relation to real people or situations is completely coincidental.**_

**Chapter One Teaser:**

_"Kirito, its you!"_

_"Whats happening to the walls?"_

_"We have to get out of here!"_

_"Your health-!"_

_"There going to kill us..."_

_"Just go!"_

_"Hey Kirito! Marry Me?"_


	2. Chapter 2

**Warnings:** BoyxBoy, OC (Original Character), Mild Violence, Language. If any of these things offend you, you are free to exit from the door on the right.

**Dreams in the Dying**

Chapter 1:

_Some come and go…and others go, come back, and stay_

* * *

As twilight dissipated and stars gathered across the sky, Mika continued to sprint along the dirt path, feet thumping rhythmically as he followed behind the mystery player. Whoever the person was, Mika had a feeling he had seen that form before, but couldn't quite bring the full picture together, as he was still too far behind. The player had been ripping across the trail with a vengeance, and didn't look like he would be shattering his pace anytime soon. With how well he moved around in his virtual body, Mika could definitely say that he had been a beta tester, so it was no surprise that the player seemed familiar. Although, there were 1,000 players who participated in the beta testing, and because of the Mirror that Kayaba Akihiko handed out, the appearances could be grandiloquently different.

Mika sweat dropped. _It's safe to say I could have kissed the guy and wouldn't be able to pick his face out of a crowd._

Having been sprinting for five to ten minutes, and still being too far away to view the mystery players name, Mika was now running off pure frustrating curiosity. The blonde thought the chase would never stop, seeing as the person had been shredding through every animal in his way without so much as a blink, until the player suddenly froze in mid step, quickly bracing himself and taking his sword out of its sheath. Mika furrowed his eyebrows, confused at the sudden change in routine, before his eyes promptly popped out of their sockets. Up a head a wolf/saber-toothed cat stood in his path, drawn out by the shadows of night. The animal was a massive wall of meat, bearing threateningly down on them, and Mika knew he should have already had his sword in his hand, handled to kill, but he couldn't tear his icy blue eyes away from the name that was displayed next to the "mystery players" health gauge.

_Kirito_

_No way! _Mika immediately grinned at the information, glad he had decided to stalk the player down in reward for a familiar…er…name? The boy quickly shook his head, as there was something more important to worry about, and brought his right hand up to swipe downwards and open his items. He hurriedly picked the one that read 'Flash Bomb', and gripped it in his hand, before taking a few quick steps towards Kirito and willfully hurling the Flash Bomb at the fantasy horror before him; faster than Kirito could get a strike in. The item hit the animal dead between its eyes, and exploded in a bombastic display of white and yellow, contrasting greatly with the shadows around them. Mika quickly covered his eyes with his arm, as did Kirito, while the freak of nature shrieked and wailed in terror, reeling on its hind legs, before scampering off into the morbid darkness, massive tail hanging at its feet.

As the light show dissipated, Mika brought is arm down from his face, eyes instantly shifting to Kirito who had his gaze trained on the direction the animal had run in, most likely to make sure it wouldn't come back. The blonde stretched a sneaky smile across his lips, clasping his hands behind his back before sashaying over to the black haired boy. Kirito had not a clue, and once directly at his back, Mika lifted his hand up and promptly poked Kirito firmly in his shoulder blade.

"Hey there."

"Gyhaaa!" Kirito shrieked in surprise, whipping around and directly bringing the tip of his sword to meet the middle of Mika's eyes. Blue orbs widened and went cross eyed, locking on the sharp steel, while pale hands were immediately thrown up in surrender.

"Whoa, not the face!" Said Mika humorously, with a playful, yet nervous smile on his lips. He used his slender finger up to point to his cheek, "You don't want to hurt this."

Kirito's eyes narrowed skeptically, and quickly shifted upwards to glance at the name next to the health of the boy in front of him.

"….Mika?"

Mika gave a toothy grin, while bringing the tip of his finger to Kirito's sword and lowering it from his face, guessing it was now safe to do so. "In the flesh!" He gave himself a quick once over, before giving a bashful look, "Sort of…"

A smile was already plastered on Kirito's face, and he quickly sheathed his sword, before bringing his arms around Mika's similar frame to give him a quick hug, which the blonde instantly reciprocated. To Kirito, it felt nice to find a tie to something he was familiar with. It was like a gravity switch had just been flipped on and his feet were brought back to the ground, returning from the high he had been on. Flying solo was nice, but with a person you trusted was better. Although, he had hoped that Mika hadn't been caught in this death game.

Kirito stepped back and rubbed the back of his head, "Sorry for the altercation. I was kind of on an adrenaline rush…"

Mika smiled and rested his hand on his right hip, "Yeah, I saw that. I've been on your tail the entire time, and you looked as if you were on fire! Running like crazy and ripping apart all the beasts in your way. Well, except for the last one. I saved your ass there."

The pale blonde nudged his friend with his elbow, "I almost thought you saw me following you and was just trying to show off."

Kirito snorted and pushed the elbow away, before crossing his arms loosely over his chest, "Whatever, I didn't even know someone was following me, I was so goal oriented. Besides, I haven't seen you since the beta test, and you looked way different back then! I wouldn't have been able to recognize you if I tried!"

Mika rubbed the side of his arm in uncharacteristic shyness, "Did…did I really look that different?"

"Well yeah," the raven said, looking thoughtful, "Your hair was a dark brown, you had a tan and your eyes were brown to…."

Kirito trailed off, while raising an inquisitive eyebrow at the apparent uncertainly that now surrounded Mika, before slowly giving a knowing look. There weren't many reasons people would change their appearance so drastically, and be uncertain now, so it wasn't hard to figure out what Mika's dilemma was. Kirito gave the boy an appraising look, before he walked past Mika, playfully shoving his shoulder along the way as he headed off back down the trail.

"Although…" Mika stared after Kirito. "You're such a happy person. Lighter colors suit you better."

Mika stood still for a moment, stunned at Kirito's kind words. _Lighter colors…suit me better? That's a first._ Kirito stopped in med step and looked back at Mika, "You coming or not, you snail? Or did you just chase me down to say hi?"

The pale boy swiftly recovered and rolled his eyes, before quickly running up to Kirito's side, shoving him as he did so, "Yeah right, you're stuck with me! I can't have you getting caught in a tree or something, now can I?"

"Yeah, yeah," said Kirito with a light chuckle, waving a hand dismissively.

A comfortable silence rained over the two as they made it step by step across the trail, sometimes taking different routes to avoid dangerous paths, and relying on the moon, and their memory of the beta test, to light their way. While walking, Mika's mind wandered off to the first time he had met Kirito in the beta test. It was similar to how they met just now, except instead of saving the raven haired boy from a hybrid, he had stepped in between Kirito and the first floor boss, when the odds weren't in Kirito's favor.

Mika mentally rolled his eyes. _He was such a self righteous prick back then. Not even level two and trying to battle a boss…_

After that little incident, they'd taken it back to the basics. Back down this trail, and into…

Mika's eyes widened, and he was positive he must have been glowing from the light bulb that just went up in his head.

"Hey," said Mika, breaking the silence.

Kirito looked at him from the corner of his eye with a raised eyebrow, "Hm?"

"Are you still at level one?"

"Yeah…you?"

Mika nodded with a smile tugging at his lips, "Yep! Guess what that means?"

The raven furrowed his eyebrows, trying to recall something he should already know, maybe from the beta test…It hit him, and a smile was now breaking his lips as well.

"I hadn't even thought of that. You think we'll enter before we level up?"

Mika rolled his eyes, "It's the only way we _can_ enter. So yes, we will!"

* * *

**-Floor One: The Wet Lands-**

"This is stupid," stated Kirito, as he kicked the water inside one of the millions of puddles littered around them. The humid air, despite them being in a virtual world, made it feel like sweat was pouring out of their bodies and gluing their clothes to their skin.

"Oh hush," said Mika, waving a hand at him, before wiping the hand across his head and running his fingers through sticky platinum locks, scowling as he did so. "It's not like I'm thrilled to be here either. My hair doesn't need this."

"You would be worried about that…" grumbled Kirito, while crouching down before springing into yet another puddle, splashing water all over his pants, and soaking his shoes. "What if we get attacked and end up raising our level? We can't enter the cavern if we're not at level one. And all this will have all been for" – He jumped into another puddle –"Nothing!"

The humidity and time spent splashing in puddles, just to find the entrance to the cavern was getting to both of them, making it extremely difficult not to bite each other's heads off. That, coupled with the fact that they had just reunited and were now making up many months worth of annoyance between each other, and you now had an angry Mika glaring harshly at Kirito, ready to peel his muffin cap black blue.(1)

The blonde roughly shook off the water clinging to his black boots, before taking a step forwards; hands clenched at his sides, he growled, "You know Kirito..." He took another step forward into a puddle, "I am getting real sick and tired of – AH!"

Instantaneously, gravity grabbed Mika by the head, and shoved him into the dark abyss of the seemingly shallow puddle. Bone chilling liquid coated his skin and pinched relentlessly at him, while also rushing up his sinuses with a vengeance, and giving Mika a moment of tingling brain loss. His breath was seemingly lost to him, as the coldness sucked it out of his lungs. Yet suddenly, all previous feelings of deathly frigid water left him, and he was soon free falling into a crouch on the stone floor, of what appeared to be, the cavern he had been looking for.

A chill scurried down his spine from the immediate alteration between wet and cold, and warm and dry, but he quickly shook it off and rose into a standing position, hand on his hip and eyes on alert. A head of him was a gargantuan cavern, gorgeously architectured to be an Atlantis type scenery, except without the huge amounts of water. Victorian type structures lined the walls of the cave; leading up to a golden building that resembled an ancient, uptown manor or palace. Thin waterfalls fell over the side structures, making it no surprise that large amounts of moss and vines had lined and curled around everything except the bottom of the manor. A wide river flowed from an unknown source through the floor of the cave, leading a path to the golden manor; the water slightly curving around the land covered moss rooted to the ground of the chamber. The scenery was only made that much more magnificent with the occasional beams of light shining down on the structures, as the entire cave simply housed the buildings, giving it light from way up high. That's how big the cavern was.

Mika pierced his lips and attempted to whistle to show his appreciation for the familiar landscape, but failed considerably with only soundless air escaping his lips. He shrugged. _I'll have to work on that later._ Mika took one step towards the beginning of his trek towards the manor, when a faint wail caused him to look upwards…only to be bombarded with an airborne body. The weight hit him like a brick in the face, and Mika very much wished at that moment that the game had been designed to not only protect your nerves from most virtual pain, but also that of which came from fellow players. Gravity was not on his side once again, and he plummeted to the ground.

The petite boy groaned, while Kirito grunted from the force of landing on Mika's stomach. Kirito had landed stomach to stomach with Mika, as well as face to face. Obsidian orbs bore deeply into icy blues, warm breath mingling between them as they tried to catch their breath, and from the humorous twinkle behind both sets of eyes, the smile tugging at lips like a stitch to fabric, and chests ready to burst; it wasn't long before ageless laughs were bubbling out of them. So much so that tears began pricking their eyes. Kirito's head hanging down with shaking shoulders, and Mika's thrown back. Neither of them could quite put their finger on it, but something about the whole situation, above ground and now in the cavern, was beyond hilarious. Or maybe they both just needed a laugh.

Once all the giggles were out in the open and their friendship was firmly resealed, Kirito stood up from atop Mika and offered the boy his hand, which was playfully slapped away, before the blonde got up himself.

"I'm not an old lady, I can help myself up," said Mika, as he needlessly dusted off his pants.

Kirito dismissed the comment altogether, as he was too star struck with the intertie of the chamber. As the raven took it all in for the second time, he let out a low, smooth whistle.

Mika's jaw promptly dropped down, "Wha-! That's not fair!"

Kirito gave him a quizzical look, "What's not fair?"

The pale boy rolled his eyes and blew out an exasperated sigh, "Nothing…Nothing."

A sneaky glint suddenly started twinkling within in his eye as an idea struck him, and he took advantage of Kirito's confusion by quickly shoving his shoulder and running past him, down through the river and towards the manor.

"Whoever gets there last has to drink cave water!" Mika called out, a laugh not far behind.

Kirito gazed at him disbelievingly, but not one to turn down a challenge, quickly took to the mossy land areas, and in a hop skip and a jump was there quite faster than the blonde, who was still trudging through the river.

The raven had kindly shoved Mika's face into the nasty cavern water.

"You suck Kirito," mumbled Mika, as he wiped the water from his mouth with his long, dark sea green sleeve.

"You called the challenge," he responded coolly, wasting no more time in bantering as he began to walk into the shining palace. Mika grumbled and quickly followed after him.

The inside of the manor wasn't anything special really; it was just extremely spacious, and well…golden. It was more of a rustic gold however, so it didn't blind your pupil with its shiny glare. The area Mika and Kirito had stepped into was something akin to a bare ball room, with only two doors up ahead; one on the right and one on the left.

"Flip a coin?" Mika asked teasingly with a small grin.

Kirito smiled and shook his head, "I can't believe we did that to decide last time…"

The blonde shrugged, "It worked. So left it is?"

The raven furrowed his eyebrows and shook his head, "No…it was definitely right."

"Um, I'm pretty sure it's left."

"It's right."

"Left." Mika got in his face.

"Right." Kirito met his dare.

They starred each other down for a second, before Mika used his right hand to swipe downwards and open his tools so he could get to his items, all while still keeping eye contact with Kirito. He looked down for a second to pick out the item that read 'Coin', and gripped it in his hand.

"Coin flip it is. Heads we go left, tails we go right." He said, nodding his head in each direction.

Kirito rolled his eyes and put his hands on his hips, "What is it with you and being heads? And whatever, just flip so we can get back to leveling up and continuing onto the next village."

Mika nodded and placed the coin on his thumb, before flipping it in the air and catching it on the back of his hand, his other palm covering the answer. The platinum blond lifted his pale hand and both he and Kirito peaked in at the coin, only for Kirito to instantly groan in annoyance.

"I have the worst luck…" he grumbled, already trudging over to the left door, while Mika pumped his fist and did a small happy dance to himself, before letting the coin break into shards and following up behind Kirito.

"If we die in here I'm going to kill you," stated Kirito, a little too calmly as they entered the dismal hallway, a complete contrast to the bright open area they were just in.

Mika waved his hand uncaringly as he trotted beside his friend, "You're such a baby. Nothing is going to happen. I have an innate skill for guessing. I'm _always_ right."

Abruptly, as if to prove the boy wrong, the sound of rock sliding against rock had both Kirito and Mika wiping their heads around to view a big slab of solid aggregate, now rising to block their entrance, cutting off any light they had previously had access to. There was a deafening silence, the boys' eyes straining to listen for anything unusual, when flames suddenly ignited around them, held by multiple torches that cast eerie shadows, which crawled across the stone flooring and up the cold walls, causing the boys to stiffen and get into a fighting stance, skilled hands rising to grip the handles of their blades.

Both of their skittish gazes were set ahead of them, peering at two large statues that looked as if made with cement. They were armored like samurai, and it was not a second later that the statues were moving into a fighting position as well, eyes glowing a malicious red.

"Yep, I knew it," said Kirito matter of factly, drawing out his blade with a 'shink', "I'm gonna kill you."

Mika sweat dropped and laughed nervously, "Yeah…can you follow through with that once we get out of here? I'd like to be breathing fresh air when I die." Mika then slowly drew out his own sword, a half black and half white 27.72 inch long segmented blade, with a width of 9.5 inches. It starts out small at the handle, yet grows wider at the end. Mika had to admit it was a work of art, and Kirito knew he had no qualms about bragging about it.

Kirito hummed softly, looking as if he was contemplating Mika's proposal, "Well… I guess. Since it's your last, dying wish."

"Why thank you, you grace," were the last words to come of that conversation, as the stature on the right took the opportunity to rush Mika, heavy feet creating thunderous echoes within the wide hallway, and cemented blade drawn and handled to kill. The statue samurai thrust his blade straight downwards, causing the sword to split the ground into pieces as Mika dodged to the right, where the statues foot quickly came in contact with the small boy's ribs, and sent him flying backwards across the room, towards the door he had previously entered through. A third of his health dropped from that hit alone.

"Mika!" Kirito called out in worry, before having to quickly dodging a hit from the same samurai by ducking under a side maneuver, and hurriedly crawling between the statues legs before it could split him in half with a swift cut downwards. Kirito scurried to his feet, and saw that he had the statues back to him. He grit his teeth and instantly activated a sword skill, making his blade glow red, planning to cut off the samurais legs all together. He raised his sword…

"Kirito no!" Mika shrieked, "Behind you! Up! Go Up!"

Kirito furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, not understanding until a large shadow was suddenly looming over him, and his heart stopped. The raven spun around and rapidly followed Mika's orders by quickly dragging his blade up the second Samurais stomach, all the way through to his neck. It didn't destroy the thing, but a long spider crack had appeared where he had had cut it, making it vulnerable. Kirito then dashed out of the crevice he was in, between the two statues, while Mika had recovered and was now rushing statue number one.

"AaaaaaaAAAAhhh!" Yelled Mika, jumping above a strike that was made to his abdomen, and putting every bit of his strength into harshly shoving his feet onto the statues face, causing it to tip backwards and allow Mika to strike the second statue behind it with a slice across its glowing eyes. As state number one fell and statue number two wailed and clutched his injured red orbs, Kirito came up behind the injured one and sliced it clean up its back. The samurai was at its limit at three fatal strikes, and finally burst into hundreds of crystals at Kirito's ending blow.

Mika and Kirito knew they could take the last statue easily, so it seemed as if things were looking up, until the whole hallway abruptly started rattling, as if an earthquake had struck the manor.

"What the-!" Mika began to say, but was instantly cut off by a stone hand gripping his neck from behind. The statue Mika had been standing on was now slowly rising, as if a resurrected mummy, and was squeezing the blond's slim neck so hard that his health was slowly dropping into the yellow zone. Mika wriggled around helplessly in the vice clutch, hands vainly trying to pry the cold, cement fingers from around his esophagus.

The room continued shaking and Mika could faintly here Kirito screaming, "It's shrinking, the room is shrinking!"

Mika groaned. _Just great. Just…just great. Why the hell didn't I listen to Kirito? He's always right!_

While Mika struggled, Kirito had picked up his friends abandoned sword, just in time for the statue to whip around and swing his sword at Kirito. The raven attempted to dodge, but the two swords he was now carrying slowed his agility and his side got nicked, dropping a bit of his health and causing tiny shards to flow from his wound. Before Kirito could activate a sword skill, the samurai brought his leg back and harshly kicked Kirito in the stomach, causing the boy to hit the ground with a force and skid halfway across the floor, losing both his and Mika's swords on the way. His health had now plummeted to half.

Mika growled angrily at the display and began stomping his foot repeatedly into the samurais chest, trying to do some kind of damage and take his focus away from Kirito. Although it caused no harm, it saw to irritate the statue, and Mika was promptly and callously launched out of his stone grip, and straight into Kirito's chest, causing the raven to grunt under the weight. The fact that Mika could feel a wall behind him and Kirito, told him that the room had already shrunk to half its size.

The heartless samurai gave no warning, and zero time to recover as he quickly rushed both the boys. Mika could feel a lump curdle inside his throat, and his heart threw itself erratically against his ribcage. He was frozen, a deer in the headlights. _It's running too fast! I don't have my sword, what do I do!?_

Although panic was overtaking Mika's thought process completely, Kirito was very much awake and sharper than ever, as just when the statue's sword was about to impale them both, Kirito thought quick and suddenly kicked Mika off of him. The strike had missed the blonde entirely, but his friend wasn't as fortunate. The cement blade, although not reaching both its targets, was now penetrating deep inside Kirito's abdomen, fishing around inside the boy's virtual organs. His health had dropped to 5%...4%...3%. With each second the blade was imbedded within him, a drop of his life span was lost. Gravity seemed to way heavy on Kirito, as many crystals floated around his body, mocking him. It was as if he was playing chess, and his opponent had just put him in check. It was a warning. A warning that he was losing, or maybe had already lost. Maybe he just two moves away from game over.

Mika gaped in horror as he watched Kirito practically disappear. The boy span his mind in circles, searching for a way to make a difference, when he spotted the glint of his sword in the corner of his eye. It was just behind the statue's thick legs and he quickly lunged for it, snatching it off the ground and instantly activating a sword skill. His sword glowed white and he swiftly cut the statue across the chest, causing the monstrosity to stumble and fall backwards onto the floor, giving Kirito the opportunity to shakily raise his hand and pull the stone sword out from his innards, tossing it aside straight afterwards.

Although Mika could see that Kirito's health was teetering on the edge of zero, he kept his eyes trained on the statue before him, and just a little beyond that. He blocked out thoughts of Kirito, and ignored the fact the hallway was frighteningly small now, because just beyond that statue, there was the second statue's sword, glowing a bright red. It didn't disappear, it hadn't shattered along with the statue, and every SAO player knew what that meant. Mika gripped his sword tightly before bracing himself, and at full speed launched his body towards the recovering samurai. Just as the stone warrior was about to stand, the blonde jumped on top of the samurai and thrust his sword securely into the stone chest, hearing the satisfying cracks of stone as the monster fell back down with the damage. Mika grinned and ran over to the glowing sword, his current savior. He just barely touched the object, and as Mika suspected it morphed into a health.

The boy knew he wasn't going to make it back over to Kirito in time, with the statue just starting to get up again, so he thought quick and swiped his right hand down, opening his tools and going to the marriage icon.

"Hey Kirito!" Mika called, making the raven raise an eyebrow as a screen popped up in front of him. "Marry me?"

**To be Continued…**

(1): It's a prison saying. I believe it means to cut someones dick off. And yes I got that from Kevin Hart.

_**A/N: Thank you for taking the time to review my story! You don't know how happy I was to see that. Hopefully you'll appreciate the long chapter and review again as well? Eh? Eh? Anyway, I wanted to clear up a few things. One, I know in cannon kicking or landing on a player isn't supposed to hurt them, but I never bought into that. How are you supposed to feel a kiss or a hug if you can't feel pain? The pain doesn't have to deplete their health, but it's definitely going to hurt! So I have used my creative license and changed that little tidbit. I also wanted to ask if anyone would like to see chapters from Kirito's POV, because i think the next one will be. Is that a turn off or a turn on? Let me know!  
**_

**Chapter 2 Teaser:**

"_Party up with me?"_

"_We need to get stronger."_

"_Oh...you're married?"_

"_I don't like where this is going."_

"_Bounty hunts."_


	3. Chapter 3

**Warnings:** BoyxBoy, OC (Original Character), Mild Violence, Language. If any of these things offend you, you are free to exit from the door on the right.

**Dreams in the Dying**

Chapter 2:

_When Life gives you Lemons Squirt them in Someone's Eyes_

* * *

[Kirito P.O.V]

– **First Floor: The Lost Cavern –**

Mental pain erupted from my injured side; unnecessary air shallowly leaving my lungs, as I attempted to remind myself that the wound wasn't real, and that the throbbing in my abdomen, that only seemed to migrate to my head, was but a figment of my imagination.

My efforts wore proving to be useless however, as I wallowed in the clusters of glittering shards, which were gleefully writing the world 'defeat' on my forehead with a fat, black sharpie. I never took failure well, and the scenario I had brought myself into was no exception. I tried to articulate what else I could do to save myself from blasting into a million glittering crystals, and leaving Mika to fight the gargantuan, lethal samurai on his own, but I was coming up short. I knew from memory that I was devoid of any health in my inventory, as the village I had been migrating to was the closest place to sell them. The only other way was to destroy an enemy and gain one, but unfortunately, low grade animals such as wolfs and boars didn't hold such items, so I was out of luck.

I chuckled lightly. _Seems as though I'm always out of luck._

I could feel my life force dribbling away like a leaky faucet, and I was beginning to ponder over the thought of just letting my consciousness slink off into the foreseeable distance, when an urgent voice suddenly shouted out to me, stopping my mental footsteps towards precarious territory.

"Hey Kirito!"

I opened my eyes to the sound of my friend's soft, yet powerful voice calling put to me, just in time to catch a glowing panel popping up in front of me. Even in my current state, I could tell that it was a marriage request, with two buttons for 'Yes' or 'No'.

My eyebrows furrowed in understandable confusion. _What the hell?_

"Marry me?" He shouted across the shrinking room, with a slight tinge of amusement in his voice, as if this whole situation was actually funny! But then again, that was Mika for you. Always making the best of most every situation; a trait that had kept my head screwed on tight during the Beta Test, steering me away from the dangerous path of PKing, simply to level up faster. I was that desperate, back then, to be ahead of everyone else; to be the best. If only to impress my use-to-be idol, Akihiko Kayaba. Mika had been my voice of reason during that time, and I have come to learn that the guy may be a clown, with a handful of good ideas, but that measly little handful was of propositions and schemes that you could trust…or should at least learn to trust anyway.

So, with those thoughts in my mind, I brought my hand up and immediately selected the 'Yes' button to the marriage proposal, no questions asked. There were only so many benefits that came with marrying someone within SAO, and even just a little thought on it brought up an option that could potentially be useful; granted Mika had any helpful items on hand. I saw Mika's infectious grin from across the room, and couldn't help the smile that graced my lisp as I swiped my hand down and opened Mika and I's now shared items inventory. Inside read the one thing that I desperately needed:

'Health'

I quickly selected the item, allowed the red crystal to burst in my hand and regained every bit of my health, rejuvenating me to the max. I could feel the virtual gravity beginning to ease up its push on my body, and every daunting little crystal that had been glittering gleefully before my eyes, slowly vanished, until my wound had completely stitched itself together, and I was up on my feet, in perfect condition.

I flexed my arms, happy to have my agility back, before shooting a thankful grin at my new "husband", who looked as if every bit of tension had left his petite shoulders at the sight of my healed body. He began pushing himself into a standing position, ready to take on the samurai, and attempt to deal the finishing blow, when the stone warrior gained a moment of clairvoyance and quickly made a backward hand strike, stone firmly connecting with Mika's abdomen and sending him crashing into the wall.

That instantly shook me out of the haze I had sunk into, and I quickly did a tuck and roll towards my sword, which lay idly on the ground where it had been previously abandoned. I swept it off the floor and gripped the handle firmly in my palm. As soon as my extension was once again a part of me, I put every will I had into activating a sword skill and rushing the merciless cement monster, ready to kill it, and get me and Mika out of the shrinking death hall.

A battle cry was jerked from my throat, as I jumped into the air, looking the samurai straight in its molten red orbs, before making a lethal strike to the right, blade clashing with stone, taking the statues entire head clean off. The severed head crashed to the ground, bursting into thousands of glorious crystals, akin to fireworks celebrating Mika and I's victory. I landed firmly on my feet, and stood tall, watching the rest of the warrior disappear, and the walls instantaneously revert to their original size. The exit that the samurais had previously blocked was now slowly opening, revealing a welcomed light over the lowering slab of rock.

I heard a slight 'clang' from behind me and instantly whipped my head around, fearing more danger, only to quickly relax as I saw my blonde friend picking up his sword and sheeting it behind his back. His health was in a dangerous area of the yellow zone, but I knew it was nothing he couldn't gain back with some well deserved rest.

"Nice job Kirito," he said, as he stuck his hands in his baggy pant pockets and sashayed over to me, with a large grin occupying his features. "You ended up picking the correct door, finished of the super samurai, and got married to every guys dream!"

I promptly rolled my dark eyes at his dramatic vanity, while he slung a thin arm over my shoulder, "I'd say you're off to a pretty good start in Aincard."

I shrugged, before grabbing the hand that was resting over my shoulder, and proceeding to walk out of the dreary hallway with Mika firmly pressed to my side, forced to follow as we arrived in a golden meadow, filled with large birds that occasionally lifted up to the sky, as if trying to touch the sun, before accepting defeat and settling back into the swaying see of grass, and going about their way. If you looked a little farther, you could see the town Mika and I had strived to get to in the distance.

It seemed as if not a moment after we stepped outside, both our stats started rising, and our Level 1 quickly turned into a Level 4, just teetering on the edge of 5. Two large screens appeared before us, and items surged into our shared inventory. Points were added to our defense and agility, and I could feel my sword get slightly longer as points were added to my sword skills as well.

"Looks like that hallway was stunting our experience," I said to Mika, "we got more items and points then we did the last time we came here. Probably cause…" I trailed off as smothered giggles began to escape the boy beside me.

I turned my head towards the pale boy I was still keeping firmly attached to me, and was met with an inquiring grin and pale eyebrows raising up and down at me.

"If you keep holding me close to you like this, I might start getting the idea that you like me~!" He put a hand over his heart in a dramatic manner, "then where would that leave our relationship?"

I had nearly forgotten why I had dragged the idiot out of the hallway like this in the first place, but Mika's snide comments and snarky attitude brought a malicious smirk across my face, as my memory rapidly returned to me. I tightened my hold on my "dear husband's" hand, "With one dead body, and me going on my merry way." I said darkly, answering his rhetorical question.

The petite boy instantly froze, wide blue eyes stretching across his face, and lips rolling into his mouth. I could feel his arm desperately trying to tug his hand out of my grip, but my fingers were firm and unwilling to humor the boy.

"Uh…um…you know," Mika stumbled around his words, trying to talk himself out of the situation, "I know I said you could kill me after we got out of that hallway, but…you see…how do I put this? I lied."

I could feel his struggles become more frantic, and I couldn't get the wicked, amused smirk to leave my face for a million bucks. Mika put a booted foot on my leg and proceeded to attempt to use that as leverage to free his captive palm.

"Come on now Kirito. Ngnn…You wouldn't want to be a spouse murderer, now…hahhg…would you? Cause that's a whole. New. LOW – Ah!"

Just as Mika had began to pull with all his strength, I released his hand, taking great delight in watching him shoot away from me and plummet to the ground. It wasn't as though I was actually mad at Mika, but messing with him was always fun, and even though Mika was aware when I was just playing, he always found the room in his heart to humor me.

The blonde rubbed his behind as he slowly stood up in the middle of the meadow. "You're so mean…" he mumbled, a pout hanging on his lip.

I simply shrugged uncaringly, before drawing my sword from it's sheath and stalking into the meadow, eyes set on the numerous birds flocking around the area. "Payback can be a bitch sometimes," I said with a smile, before swiftly slicing my sword through one of the large birds, causing it to shatter instantly, boosting me up to Level 5.

"I get it, I get it! I'll let you pick next time," Mika called out in exasperation, as if there would be a next time, while running up behind me, "But moving on to more important things. I know I'm bound to get divorced by you soon, so I was thinking that we should Party Up instead. It'll make scaling Aincard a lot easier together."

At the mention of partying up with Mika, I immediately halted in my tracks, causing my friend to bump against my shoulder blade. That proposition never sounded appealing to me. Even in the Beta Test, I had always avoided the question of partying up with Mika, until of course he had all but forced me into it at Floor 3. I always played solo; solo was my thing. Partners were just too much to worry about, especially now that the game I was playing could be sudden death. Teaming up was certainly out of the question. I had let myself get washed away in nostalgia at the sight of my old friend, but it was time to get back on track.

I turned around to face Mika with a blank expression, "I'm sorry Mika, but…I can't Party Up with you."

"But –!" The blond instantly tried to protest, but I raised a hand, silencing him.

"I know we teamed up together last time, but even that was a strained experience. I'm not a team player Mika. I don't have that mentality, and you know it. It was fun traveling with you so far, but as soon as we reach the village, it's best if we just go our separate ways. You'd be safer either by yourself, or with someone who knows how to care for a team member. And I'd be more comfortable going at this alone."

I could see the light slowly start to dwindle from Mika's eyes with every word that escaped my lips, and as much as I hated to admit it, it tugged harshly at my heart strings. He was such a great person, and I could count the times on one hand that he had not been in an uplifting mood. It was because I cared about him however that I needed to distance myself. There was a reason I had been the only one to get to the 10th floor of Aincard, and I didn't need a certain 8th floor scenario, of a surprise attack and shards bursting next to me in the form of what used to be my friend, to recreate itself in this game of life or death. I wouldn't allow that weight to hang over my shoulders.

"Look Mika, it's not your fault –" I tried to explain myself, but he cut me off.

"It's ok Kirito," he whispered dejectedly, "I get it. It's probably best if we just split up now. I wouldn't want to interfere with your solo quest."

I tried to speak up, but he kept talking, leaving me with zero spaces to cut in.

"I'll run ahead so that I can get to the village faster, " he stared heatedly at the grass below, "I obviously need the experience more, judging by the cavern scenario. I'll catch you later. Or not…"

Head still kept inclined towards the ground, he pushed past me, shoulder softly bumping against mine. On instinct, I immediately reached my hand out to snatch his thin wrist. Mika thought I didn't want to travel with him for all the wrong reasons. I wanted so badly to reassure him that it was me with the issues, but he wouldn't give me the chance, as he wrenched his arm forwards, ripping his wrist from my grasp before darting off, sprinting towards the distant village.

My eyes trailed after my friend until he had completely disappeared, before I finally let my head drop, chin connecting with my chest. It was a horribly dreary atmosphere; the only sounds I could hear being the occasional flapping and squawks of birds, and the wind rushing through the vast meadow, painting a picture of golden waves on the land. I quickly came to the depressing realization, that I would have to get use to this throughout the rest of my journey.

A sigh whispered past my lips. _I miss that loud mouth already. And to top it off…_

I ripped through another one of the birds idling about, a small smile sneaking past my lips. _He ran off before I could abolish our matrimony. That sneaky bastard._

* * *

[Mika P.O.V]

– **First Floor: Tolbana (Town) –**

Sunshine rained down, highlighting on my pale figure, making it look as if I were a poltergeist walking around in the daylight. Eyes seemed to pursue me as I stalked through the town, giving me the sickening feeling of thousands of paintings on a wall; their haunting gazes following me wherever I went. This had to be the one and only thing I hated about being trapped in Aincard; my true looks were now left out in the open for everyone to gawk at. I hated my ashen skin color, my pale blonde hair, and my icy, almost transparent blue eyes. Being albino was the epitome of different, and it wasn't always the most enjoyable thing, to stick entirely out of a crowd that is. Being albino period wasn't much of a joy ride, actually.

I sighed in exasperation. _Better just ignore them. There only hurting their own image by thinking I'm the only unique one around here._

As I ambled through the gaping town, I took my thoughts back to The Lost Cavern. Although I had been the one to volunteer a coin flip, to decide whether we should have gone right or left, I knew for an absolute fact that left was the correct corridor. I could be careless sometimes, but memory was my strong point; which happened to be the exact reason I had actually cheated during the coin flip. Practice flipping a coin enough times, and you became in tune with how many flips it took to land on your call. The inquiry of why the left door was incorrect, was leading me to believe that certain things were different from the beta test, making my knowledge as a beta tester almost worthless.

I reached my hand up to scratch the back of my head. _I don't even know where I should start in this town anymore!_

If anything, I wanted to hone in on my passive and combat skills; I could pick up some weapon skills along the way. I knew all the right places, and could activate all the good quests, but there seemed to be too many variables for me to rush in. I couldn't just jump into a quest, because it could end up being completely different from what I was familiar with, and I didn't want to be defeated and get kicked out of the game so early. Then there was the issue with Kirito, and him not traveling with me to gain the skills we both needed. I didn't want to take all the good stuff and leave him with zilch; that would just be cruel of me, being his husband and all…

I couldn't help hanging my head and laughing to myself in mirth. I had got away from him as fast as I could, as to not remind him that we still happened to be hitched. If Kirito thought he could ditch me that easily, then he had another thing coming. That boy had a serious problem with arrogance, and I truly was appalled when he inferred that I would make trouble for him. There were so many instances when I had saved Kirito's ass from something he couldn't handle, both now and in the beta test. No matter what he says, I know we make a good team, and Aincard may be wonderful, but it wasn't any fun alone; he of all people should know that. The only thing that seemed to bring a smile to face about the whole situation was that Kirito had no choice but to meet up with me again, if only to find out why many of his items would suddenly go "missing" in the future. You had to adore this marriage thing, and the idea of a shared inventory.

Pulling myself out of my thoughts, I took a look at my surroundings, and instantly winced when I realized that I was in the middle of a goldmine of quests. NPCs looking overly sad, waving at me, or animatedly fighting with another in-game character, just begging for me to walk up and say "hi". This simply served to bring back my other issues. If I couldn't submit myself to ransack the quests, I would need to quickly go find the only person who actually knew anything around here. She could probably tell me what other beta testers have been saying about the game changes, as some testers were bound to have gotten here before me. Going through The Lost Cavern took more time then I had intended. Beginner players were most likely migrating here right now, so it was now or never to get some use out of the information I needed.

I swiftly took up a sprint, dodging the few players that were here and turning many corners, before leaning into a quick crouch and boosting myself off of the brick pathed ground, landing softly atop a building that overlooked most of Tolbana. It was certainly a beautiful sight to take in, my high standpoint making me feel as if on top of the world, but I kept my gaze trained on the heart of the town; a large, bare circle holding nothing but a fountain, a bench, brick pavement, and a certain player with a dark brown cloak hiding their features.

A twisted frown marred my lips, as if I had eaten something sour. _Hello there, Argo. Some people are just too obvious. It's almost funny that she's in the same spot I met her in before._

I had to admit though, I wasn't all that happy that I had found the witch so quickly…

* * *

An awkward silence rained over the two of us, toxic smog already starting to lightly pervade the space around us like poison, before Argo nodded her head upwards at me.

"So…you're married huh?"

I released a charming laugh, while smoothing back my pale blonde curls, "News travels fast, it seems. But yes, someone was actually able to catch this rare and beautiful creature."

"I wonder what poor guy got stuck with that nightmare…" Argo mumbled to herself, just loud enough for me to overhear.

A throbbing tick mark formed on my forehead, but I quickly willed it to dissipate, choosing to playfully shove her shoulder, pushing her slightly towards the edge of the bench we were currently sitting on, "Shut up, whisker face! And why do you automatically assume it's a guy? Although…" I brushed some imaginary dirt off my shoulder, "It's not as if I couldn't score myself a strong, sexy man."

Argo deadpanned, "That's how I know it's a guy. I remember you from the beta test, and you're gayer then you are blond…"

"Hey!" I exclaimed in indignation, flailing my arms about in the air. "Don't go spreading that around! I don't need some half pint boys confessing to me every five minutes."

It was no secret really that I played for the other team, but I didn't need Kirito getting a hold of that information. I knew from experience that the way guys acted around me could take a complete 180, as well as a dangerous nose dive into the waters of doom, just from finding out my sexuality. My friendship with Kirito was the one thing I didn't want to ruin, so it was best if Argo kept her mussel shut.

The red whiskered brunette rolled her eyes at my antics, before folding her arms over her chest and suddenly adopting a serious expression, "Now that the pleasantries are out of the way, let's get to business. What do you want to know, Mika?"

I placed my hand over my chest and took up a hurt expression, "I can't just stop by to say hello to an old friend? What is the world coming to?"

She didn't as so much crack a smile, her gaze remaining solid and fierce. My act instantly crumbled, my hand falling from my chest to allow my elbow to rest on the back of the bench, unrivaled sternness taking over my features. It was as if every emotion had bled from my normally flippant conduct, turning me into an entirely different person.

Argo and I never did have that great of a relationship. We tried to squeeze in a few smiles, and jokes here and there, but it never lasted long, and a grim demeanor always began to wash over the area. She was the one person that never did get caught up in my uplifting attitude. She would calculate me with her scrutinizing leer, watching…waiting for me to slip up somehow.

Maybe she was simply mad that she never really had much on me? Or maybe the word happy just wasn't in her dictionary?

Either way, I don't like to make nice with people who were on no account willing to give me a fair chance, so that lead us to the stalemates we constantly got stuck in. I enjoyed friendly encounters, but sometimes business was just that; business.

"I need to know what other beta testers have been saying about the game." I implored. "Are they breezing through it? Or…is the atmosphere more of frustration?" I chose my words carefully, only wanting to give so much away about my predicament.

Argo raised a curious eyebrow, "What do you mean by that? Are you asking me if beta testers are having trouble with quests? Or are you just failing in them lately?"

There it was, that little jab at my ego that she just had slip in there, wanting to tug a reaction out of me. Sometimes talking to this woman was more trouble than it was worth. I wasn't a saint, and there was only so much I could take in one sitting.

I took in a deep breath, and let it out therapeutically, before my features morphed into that of surprise, finger pointing to myself in a shocked manner, "Me? Aincard extraordinaire having quest issues?" I pursed my lips, "…Maybe."

Argo narrowed her eyes in a questioning glare, while leaning back into the bench, "I'm guessing for the information on what exactly the issue is, you want to know what the talk between beta testers has been like."

I examined my nails thoughtfully, "That's usually how it goes."

She shook her head in exasperation, "I swear, your one of the very few people who always seem to get things out of me for free."

I grinned, "That's because I know how you work Argo, and only come to you when I have the correct compensation. Info for info my frenemy. "

The brunette rolled her eyes, "Whatever bleach-head. The only thing I have to tell you is that you're on the right track."

I narrowed my eyes into a unappreciative glower, my lips still holding a deceptive smile while I slowly stood up, hands now resting in my pockets, "Then the only thing I can tell you is sayanara." I promptly turned on my heel and began walking away. I was so done with her for the day. All this talk, for only that less than unhelpful bit of information, was not worth sticking around to fight for what I needed.

"That's not fair Mika!" She shouted from behind me. "No matter how you look at it, I gave you knowledge on what you wanted! What happened to 'correct compensation'?"

Was she kidding me? Fair my butt…

"Your "knowledge" proved to be crappy!" I shouted back, still walking ahead, "So I did give you the fair remuneration." I paused in my step and turned my head around glance at the vexed brunette, who was now standing as well. I shot her a smirk, "You're just upset you didn't cop me out. You may not like me, but that wasn't cool, whiskers."

I watched her face fill with a red heat, before turning my head back around, a childish grin of triumph occupying my face. I took one step forward…only to be stopped once again her insipid voice.

"I know you and Kirito were traveling together!" She yelled. How she knew everything, I would never discern. "Will my information help him?"

I laughed breathlessly, shoulders shaking," I wanted your information specifically to help him. If you hadn't been such a snarky witch, you might have found that out sooner."

"Shut up! Look…" She trailed off, her voice calming, "Beta testers have been dying left and right from underestimating the quests. Some of them, it seems, where specifically designed to take out players who had been there before. Instead of going for the obvious quests, it's probably better for you and Kirito to take up something more difficult. Like…Bounty Hunts."

My whole body completely turned around at that one, expression incredulous, "You want me and Kirito to go and take down some PKing criminals, when we don't even have simple tracking skills? That's suicide woman! I thought you liked Kirito!"

The short brunette promptly smacked her forehead, "If you were twice as smart, you'd still be stupid…There are bounty's out there that happen to be on low grade criminals that will give you skills such as tracking, hiding, searching, and detection. It will also raise your combat skills and help you gain new ones. For someone who loves Aincard so much, you sure don't know a lot about it…"

I couldn't find it in me to register offence to her comment, as I was too elated to really take it into account. This was the perfect opportunity to show Kirito that we thrived better together! All I had to do was make sure he showed up, and that was easier than saying "Argo's a witch"! I grinned and ran up to said woman, shocking her with a tight hug around her petite shoulders and a chaste kiss on her marked cheek.

"Thank you, whiskers!" I exclaimed in gratitude, leaving her frozen in place as I sprinted off, "You're the best!"

I was already completely out of sight when I heard a shriek of, "I want my compensation!", from behind me, causing abdomen crunching snickers to take over my body.

* * *

[Kirito P.O.V]

– **First Floor: Tolbana (Town) –**

I walked briskly through the town of Tolbana, scrolling through the items I had just recently acquired. I took into account the items I had earned during the fight in The Lost Cavern, before using my currency to buy things such as health crystals, food, crystals to cure paralysis, and other things I would require during my journey.

During the trek to Tolbana I had put forth all my efforts to banish Mika from my thoughts, choosing to strictly focus on my task ahead. Mika was strong, intelligent, cunning, and made friends effortlessly. I had to believe he would be ok with me elsewhere. The blond was often the one saving me from things anyway, so it's not as if I had any reason to worry about him.

I sighed. _And my thoughts are off with him one again...__  
_

My head shook fiercely from side to side, as I tried to focus on the strategy I should be cooking up to defeat the first floor boss. I needed to discern which quests to get to first, and which skills to focus on currently. My musings were interrupted however, as a light sound went off and a screen popped up in front of me.

'Private Message from Mika' it read, causing an eyebrow to rise curiously. The pale boy had been pretty upset the last time I saw him, so it was a wonder that he was contacting me. I lifted my hand up and opened the message:

"_Sorry Kirito. This is for your own good. Oh, and just in case you want to yell at me, you'll find me near the Bulletin Board."_

I furrowed my eyebrows. What was for my own good, and why would I want to yell at him? Suddenly, the sound of items leaving an inventory alerted me, and I quickly tapped into my items unit, only to watch in horror as nearly every single item I had just bought disappear from my list.

"What!?" I shouted aloud, gaping at my dwindling item register. My eyes shifted frantically over my screen, trying to find a way to stop the blonde heathen from stealing my stash, but there was no such option, and I was soon left staring helplessly at only two pitiful item monikers.

'Health' and 'Bread'.

**To Be Continued…**

* * *

_**A/N: Thank you all for your wonderful reviews! You don't know how much they inspired me to write this chapter. This actually would have been out sooner, but I have been busy looking for a beta. I so obviously need one… Anyway, did I do ok with the first person point of view? Since I captured Kirito's POV I thought it was only fair to give Mika some 'me time' as well. And I hope everybody was ok with Argo. I personally think she's awesome! Next chapter will be in third person. Just an FYI, although I have a premise, I am figuring out this story as I write. So I am absolutely open to any requests you guys might have, and I might be willing to do one shots between Mika and Kirito if anybody asks :) Not that anybody cares...  
**_

**Chapter 3 Teaser:**

"_What was the point of that?!"_

"_He doesn't look like the guy on the wanted poster…"_

_"I can't party up with you!"_

"_You realize that guy was flirting with you, right?"_

"_Akihiko Kayaba is my everything…"_


End file.
